


Veni, vidi, vici

by beingsydneycarton



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-26
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2018-01-26 14:04:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1690958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beingsydneycarton/pseuds/beingsydneycarton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i> With that, she changed, gone was the girl she was. And God help any who tried to stop the girl she became. </i>
</p><p> </p><p>They were just kids when they realized that their greatest strengths lay in each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fortune Favours the Brave

Many biotics referred to Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training, or Brain Camp, as hell. In a way, it was; teenaged kids were tortured and pushed to the limits of their mental, physical, and biotic powers. The kids weren’t criminals and they hadn’t committed any crime apart from being born. _So that would make it worse than hell, apparently innocents don’t go to hell_ , Kaidan Alenko almost laughed out loud. He had a broken nose and bruises everywhere. _It sure feels like hell_. He iced his nose and rubbed at his temples, praying the migraine would hold off until later. It wouldn’t.

Kaidan had almost succeeded in reducing the swelling along the bridge of his nose when Hendel Mitra knocked on his door. “Kaidan.” his voice was dark, carrying notes of anger and sadness just barely contained. “Kaidan, I know you’re pissed but you’re gonna want to see this.”

He rolled his eyes and opened the door. “What do the slave drivers-oh excuse me, _educationalists_ want now?” Del chucked and gestured for Kaidan to follow him. “No. I am not going back there without a goddamn good reason.”

“There’s a girl!” Mitra’s eyes were wide.

“If you wanted to talk about girls-”

“No! She’s new and I guess she doesn’t know much about this place because Mia spilled her drink and, like always Vyrnnus went to-” Hendel barely breathed, his mouth was moving so rapidly.

He placed a hand on Del’s chest. “Woah. Slow down! What is going on?”

“This girl’s having a standoff with Vyrnnus!”

The smile was wiped from his face. “She’s going to get herself killed!”

Del shook his head. “Kaidan, we think she’s winning!”

******

“I won’t let you hurt her.” The girl’s voice was strong. For a petite girl who looked like she would break at the touch, there was something unwavering about her, and it drew Kaidan. Vyrnnus stood inches away from her, yet she met his gaze with steel of her own. He could see Mia standing a foot or so behind her, crying, and spilled water running through the cracks in the training room floor. Kaidan could also tell that Vyrnnus was pissed. The silver of the turian’s face had a red tinge to it and his eyes had narrowed to slits, but something was stopping him from hurting the girl or Mia. That was when he noticed the blue shimmer that seemed to envelope the two girls. She was _projecting_ her barrier. That should have been impossible, yet she stood with palms outstretched throwing blue shimmer across the room.

“Do you know who I am?!” Vyrnnus’s voice was filled with so much rage that Del took a small step back from where they were standing near the door.

“No, and it doesn’t matter.” she said. “No matter what name is taken, a bully is a bully.”

Vyrnnus was shaking with pure choler. “I am the turian that killed your grandfather!”

She laughed, but Kaidan could see she was beginning to tire. The fact that she had been able to hold the barrier that long was astounding. The new L3 implants were obviously living up to the hype. “My grandfather is the human that liberated Shanxi, so thats highly unlikely.” The girl was deliberately baiting the angry turian.

His mandibles fluttered and he narrowed his eyes. Kaidan almost shouted when the turian raised his gun to her barrier, but the girl didn’t even flinch.

Vyrnnus fired.

All eyes were on the girl’s half smile as the bullet dropped out of the air and hit the floor upon impact with the barrier. “I will make your life hell, _girl_.”

With that threat, Vyrnnus walked out of the training room. She didn’t relax until she was sure the angry turian had no plans of coming back. As she released the barrier, Kaidan could see lines of exhaustion mar her face. The room was silent as she pulled Mia from the floor. He could see the faces of his fellow biotics alight with awe.

 _Damn_.

Mia was dragging the girl over toward he and Del, and Kaidan had to bury the urge to leave. Whatever else she might be, the girl was powerful and he could feel the pull of her biotics from where he stood.

“Del! Kaidan! She just saved my life!” Mia’s face was covered in tears and Del moved to comfort her, leaving the girl and Kaidan standing awkwardly, both seemingly unable to comfort the crying Mia.

“It happens often, doesn’t it?” she asked quietly. Her voice had a bit of a lilting accent to it, something he hadn’t noticed earlier.

“Too often.” he responded. Kaidan opened his mouth to say something- he wasn’t sure what- when he was distracted by Mia, done crying, throwing herself into the arms of the girl. He almost laughed, the girl’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head.

After being awkwardly patted on the back, Mia turned to the two boys. Kaidan took the time to study the new girl. She was staring off into space and looked- damn- she looked sick.

 _Shit_. Kaidan thought as she pitched forward. He stepped forward to catch her, and slowly brought her to the floor. Mia gasped and Del immediately checked her pulse. “We should get a doctor!” Mia sounded terrified.

“It’s just exhaustion.” Kaidan sighed. “It’s not like they’d do anything for her anyway.” Del and Mia met his eyes, obviously looking for direction. Kaidan thought for a few moments and then picked up the unconscious girl. “My roommate is,” he swallowed, “gone. She can stay in the extra bunk until she wakes up.”

This day was just getting stranger and stranger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed it! Comment anything you wish, criticisms and compliments alike are much appreciated. I will be updating ASAP. Also, English is not my first language so correct anything you see for me please! Thank you all so much for reading! Chapter two is coming soon! 
> 
> Catarina's nickname (Rhea) is pronounced Ree-ya. 
> 
> ******* denotes change in time
> 
> -Sam


	2. A New Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Per Angusta ad Angusta_

She woke in an unfamiliar room with an unfamiliar boy staring at her from across the room. _Where-?_ Oh, thats right, she _passed out_. How could she forget. “Hi.” she waved to the boy across the room.

He laughed- a good sign- and walked towards her. “Hey, yourself. You look like hell.”

“I feel like hell.” She rolled her shoulders, blew her platinum hair out of her eyes, and gave the boy a lopsided smile. “It could be worse.”

“Could it?” The boy raised his eyebrow.

“I could look like you.” She gestured to the bruising on his face.

He groaned. “That bad huh?”

She laughed at his upset face. “Don’t worry, pretty boy, you’ll recover.” Her lips mirrored his smile and she slid her legs off of the bed. Looking down, she realized that she was still in the clothes she was wearing before. “You didn’t?”

His cheeks became adorably red and she realized that underneath the bruising, he was a very attractive boy. “No. I’d never-”

“Thanks.” Her voice was quiet again.

“Mia gave me some of her clothes to give to you when you woke up.” He pointed to a pile at the foot of the bed. She nodded and he made a move to the door.

“Where are you going?” She wanted to hit herself over the small tinge of panic that she could hear in her voice.

Kaidan paused and spoke gently. “I’ll just be outside until you’re done changing.”

Playing it off, she winked. “Don’t go far pretty boy.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it-” He met her eyes. “I don’t know your name.” Kaidan’s whiskey eyes met her amethyst ones.

“Catarina. Rhea, if you so please.”

His smile met his eyes. “Kaidan.”

******

 _I look awful_ , Rhea sighed and looked in the mirror. Her long platinum blonde hair was tangled and her normally tan skin had lost it’s color. She groaned. _I feel like I’ve been run over by a tractor_. Grabbing the brush- she assumed it was Kaidan’s, Rhea set to work on her hair. When she was satisfied, the ends of her hair just met the last line of her ribs and waved down her neck. She stretched and then pulled on the borrowed clothes. _Woah_. The baby blue v-neck was emblazoned with a logo- Conatix, she read- and _definitely_ did not fit her in the chest area, instead it was pulled skin tight over her breasts. _Damn it_. The black work-out shorts fit marvelously well- thank god Mia had a butt- and Mia had also seen fit to leave a hair tie with the clothes. After pulling her long hair into a high ponytail, Rhea studied herself in the mirror.

Back on Mindoir, the boys at her school had called her gorgeous. They had stared at her chest- her butt, and she had learned to hide herself from them. She learned to make herself small and insignificant in the hopes that they would leave her out of their crazed boyish fantasies. So she studied herself in the cheap mirror, taking everything they had noticed and made note of it. Rhea’s angular face was certainly striking, so she raised her chin higher; her freckles served to highlight her tan skin and deep purple eyes, so she met her eyes in the mirror; her tan skin made the white of her teeth brighter, so she flashed a wicked smile; her platinum hair swung when she moved, so her hips sashayed a bit more when she walked. Gone was Rhea, the insignificant farm girl from Mindoir. This was Catarina, and there would be no more hiding.

Sparing herself but one more glance in the mirror, Catarina walked into the hallway where Kaidan was waiting. “Hey there, pretty boy.”

He met her eyes and raised an eyebrow. “Good. You’re just in time for Food Prep, or Survival Camp as we like to call it.” Kaidan spared her a wry grin. “You know how to cook?”

“I can unwrap ration bars.” She noticed that he kept his eyes on a fixed point in front of him as they walked. _Smart boy_.

He shook his head and laughed. “Come on, crazy girl. I’ll teach you how to cook.”

******

They had made it about half way to Survival Camp when they were attacked- actually, Kaidan was attacked- by a tall blonde girl. “Kaidan!” she cried, launching herself into his arms.

“Rahna!” he said and twirled her around.

Catarina gave the two an amused smile. Rahna had pretty green eyes and blonde hair much darker than Rheea’s. She was also much taller, and way less curvy. Rhea was 5’4” whereas Rahna had to be 5’10” and thin as a twig.

“Where are my manners?” Rahna smiled and held out a hand. “I’m Rahna”

She took it. “Catarina.”

“You wouldn’t believe the way people are talking about you, Cat!” Rhea hated that nickname, but Rahna had such a sweet disposition that she ignored it. “Well, I’m sure you’re used to people talking about you.” Rahna gestured to Rhea’s entire body. “You’re quite pretty you know.”

Rhea laughed. “Thanks, I guess.”

“Well, I gotta go!” Rahna placed a kiss on both her and Kaidan’s cheeks. “See you later, Danny and Cat!” With a smile and a wave, she left. Kaidan stared after her with red cheeks and a starstruck smile.

“Alright, lover boy.” Catarina spoke, laughing.

“She’s amazing.”

“And so is my capacity for destruction in a kitchen.”

Kaidan shook his head and started to walk forward again. “If it’s anything as amazing as your biotics, I’m scared.”

“You should be terrified.” Rhea said seriously.

They continued their walk in companionable silence until they reached the prep room. With Kaidan, Catarina had felt like what she did yesterday was no big deal, like she, for the first time, was normal. However, the moment the two walked into the kitchens all chatter ceased and the staring started. The kids’ curiosity and awe made her uncomfortable, but instead of casting her gaze down and trying to hide, she just lifted her chin and followed Kaidan with her eyes staring straight ahead.

The instructor hadn’t arrived so she and Kaidan sat down across from each other and grabbed the required ingredients. “Hey, new girl.” The voice came from a brown haired boy leaning on the countertop.

“You’re leaning on the burners.” Her dry comment was the only acknowledgement she gave him.

“Oh, you’re looking out for me? How sweet.” The boy got closer and put a hand to her waist. “Maybe I should thank you properly.”

Catarina rolled her eyes and pulled on her biotics. She shimmered with raw power and flashed him the wicked smile she had practised in the mirror earlier. “I don’t want to kiss you or have sex with you or even have a conversation with you so get your hand off of my waist and take a good twenty steps back.”

She could tell her response surprised the boy, but from the snicker behind her she knew it hadn’t surprised Kaidan. “You’re a bitch.”

Kaidan moved to stand next to her, glowing with the same biotic power she was. “Only to you Michaelsson.”

“Well aren’t you two adorable. So, let me guess....you two are fucking each other? How sweet.” Michaelsson smirked.

Before Kaidan could even move, Rhea slammed her clenched fist into Michaelsson’s face. He clutched at his face, moaning. “I don’t need biotics to knock you on your ass. And I definitely don’t need Kaidan to do it for me. In fact, I much prefered doing that myself.” She spoke coldly. Michaelsson quickly returned to his station, still clutching at his bloody nose.

“You alright?” Kaidan looked her over.

“I’m always up for punching assholes.” Catarina pushed a pan in front of him. “Now, pretty boy,” she smirked, “teach me how to cook.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think! There will definitely be some more cute Kaidan/Rhea things (and maybe some steamy ones??) in the next couple of chapters.


	3. Old Ghosts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa_
> 
>  
> 
> "And it was my fault, my fault, my most grievous fault."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a struggle to write because I've had a lot of work for school this last week. 
> 
> My profile art was done by the amazing willobea on tumblr (http://willobea.tumblr.com). 
> 
> Okay so I'm at a cross roads for what I'm gonna do with this story and I'd like some feedback on where you want me to go. If you have any feedback or ideas you can message me on tumblr (http://voluspizza.tumblr.com) or comment here. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading!

The biotics of Jump Zero didn’t have much free time, so when they did they could usually be found in one of lounges, whispering quietly among themselves. In one of the port-side lounges, with the shutter open to the stars, Kaidan, Del, Mia, Rahna, Catarina, and a few others lolled on couches and leaned against the walls.

“How are you adjusting, Rhea?” Del asked the girl’s prone form.

“Still waiting for Vyrnnus to kick my ass.” She was lying on the floor with an arm thrown over her eyes, but Kaidan could still see the beginnings of a smile flit across her lips.

He stretched his tired muscles and Rahna smiled at him. He felt warmth in his stomach as he smiled back. “Worse comes to worse, you can always poison him with your cooking.”

At this, Rhea lifted her arm off of her face and glared at him before laughing. “My cooking is not _that_ bad!” she sat up. “Besides,” she flashed him a smile, “he’s a _turian_ , any of us could poison him with our cooking.”

Del snorted and Kaidan held his hands up in mock surrender. He opened his mouth to say more, but Rhea’s attention had moved toward something near the door. Kaidan turned and saw a boy, couldn’t be more than ten years old standing inside the autolock.

“Do you want to come in?” That was Rahna. The teenaged kids were all looking at the little boy curiously. He had dark skin and even darker hair and was shaking all over.

“J-je-je ne parle pas l’anglais.” The boy’s response can out quiet and scared. _Damn it_ , thought Kaidan. He recognized the language as French, but couldn’t understand anything other than that.

“He says he can’t speak English.” Rhea moved forward to talk to the boy. He gave her a curious look. “Vous n’avez pas a parler anglais pour rester ici avec nous.” Everyone watched entranced as the boy’s face lit up with happiness.

“You speak French, Re?” Kaidan moved closer to the two.

She blushed and shook her head. “Badly.”

Kaidan wracked his brain for anything he could remember from his trip to Quebec years ago. “Bonjour.” Rhea laughed again, a surprised little sound that made him smile.

“Ceci est mon ami.” She gestured to him. “Il est appele Kaidan et je suis appele Catarina. Qu’est-ce que vous avez appele?” Her accent was impeccable, at least it was from what he remembered.

“Tomas.” The boy, Tomas from what he gathered, smiled and took Rhea’s outstretched hand. Kaidan watched on as the two went over to sit by the window, still speaking rapid-fire French.

“That was impressive.” He almost jumped at the sound of Rahna’s voice so close to his ear. “Catarina is......interesting.” She continued, with deep thought. “She seems altruistic in character, but I cannot help but feel a bit afraid when she is in the same room as me.”

Kaidan looked at her, surprised. “You’re afraid of _Rhea_?”

“You weren’t in our training class, Danny. Catarina is an extremely powerful biotic and seems to know much more about combat than most of us.” Her eyes met his. “I can’t help but feel as if she isn’t in control.”

He was silent. He had seen Rhea in action, holding the barrier in front of Mia. Not once during the entire time she had been charged biotically did she seem to be losing control. For a quick second, Kaidan felt guilty for the urge to run he had felt upon first meeting her. Rahna  hated her biotics. To her, the power was a curse, a one-way ticket to pain for her and those around her. He understood her point, it was _hard_ to maintain control when the power was flaring through your veins, but they couldn’t change the way they had been born.

“I think she’s trying to keep moving forward, utilize this thing we were all born with.” Kaidan looked at Rhea, who was cradling the sleeping Tomas in her arms. “No matter how hard we try, we were born with this stuff flowing through our veins and we will never be normal. I guess she’s done wishing for something she won’t ever have.”

Rahna shook her head. “That doesn’t mean she can control it.”

“Give her a chance. I think you’ll like her, she reminds me of you in some ways.”

She laughed. “I do like her! I just might also be a bit afraid of her.” Rahna thought about what he said for a second. Kaidan started to walk away when she stopped him. “Wait! In _what_ ways?”

He laughed and walked away, joining Mia and Del sitting on one of the couches. “Isn’t she amazing?” It seemed everyone in the goddamned world was talking about Rhea.

“Someone’s got a crush?” Del teased.

To Kaidan’s evident surprise, Mia blushed. “She’s very attractive!”

“Who is?” Rhea’s voice was quiet over the head of black curls. Del laughed at her perfect timing and Mia blushed. Rhea looked at them curiously and then turned to Kaidan. “Hey Kaidan can you take Tomas?” He reached out and adjusted the kid in his arms. Rhea yawned and collapsed on the couch next to him. Kaidan adjusted once again so she would be comfortable. She sighed “Thanks.”

“Tired?” He kept his voice quiet so as not to wake Tomas.

She yawned again. “Exhausted.” It had only been a week since she got to Jump Zero, but if the thrashing that had been coming from her bed was any indication, Rhea hadn’t been sleeping very well.

“You should go to sleep.” Seeing the concerned look on her face, he added, “I’ll take care of Tomas.”

Rhea gave him a weary smile and ruffled his hair as she moved to leave. “Take care, Kaidan.”

When she had left the room, Del studied him. “You two have become close.”

“She’s an L2, struggles with the nightmares.” He spoke, almost without thinking. “And she’s a good person.”

“You think she’d go out with me?” Mia looked at them both.

Kaidan shrugged. “I have no idea.”

Mia looked at Del with a smirk. “I think Rhea is a boys kind of girl.” They both laughed and Kaidan rolled his eyes.

 _I swear to god if they wake this kid-_. His thoughts were interrupted by Rahna’s hand on his shoulder. “Rahna?”

“You need to come with me. It’s important.” Any questions he might have had were stopped by the seriousness of her voice. Mia and Del weren’t laughing anymore. He felt Tomas being lifted from his arms by Mia and he moved to follow Rahna.

“Need any help?” That was Del, falling in line with the two of them.

Rahna nodded. With nervous anticipation, they set off toward the dorms.

******

“Hey.”

Rhea was bloody. She was covered with the stuff. It turned her hair pink, clung to her shirt, and was sticky on her skin. Still, the girl was sarcastic and smiling.

“Kaidan, quit pacing. I’m okay.” Gentle. Kind.

“No you aren’t!” Angry. Upset.

“But I will be.” Quiet. Understanding.

She winced as Rahna tired to clean her wounds.

“How did this happen?” He had moved closer, hoping to help Rahna and Del clean her wounds. Instead, Rahna moved in front of him.

“You need to help us carry her to the medic. I think she needs stitches.” Rahna sighed and shook her head. “In multiple places. Either way, we can’t treat her here.”

He reached for Rhea’s broken body. Her eyes were closing. “Rhea!”

“Calm down! I’m just tired.” She yawned and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Run horsey.”

“Rhea, I swear to God.” He glared at her. Del picked up the towels they had cleaned the blood up with and the four headed towards the med-bay. It wasn’t a far walk, but far enough that Kaidan didn’t want Rhea falling asleep. “Talk, Rhea.” Her only response was to raise an eyebrow.

“Tell us about yourself, Rhea.” Rahna spoke quietly.

She groaned and opened her eyes. “No.”

“Please?” Del’s voice joined Rahna’s.

“I’ll tell you what, when I’m stuck in the med-bay we can play twenty questions for however long you want.” Rhea gasped when her weight was shifted and Kaidan grimaced.

When they finally got to the med-bay, Rhea was breathing heavily and gripping Kaidan’s neck with trembling fingers. The attendant sitting by the door jumped into action upon seeing Rhea’s visible injuries. He called the medic as Kaidan set her on an exam table. The medic, Kaidan recognized her as Aashka, flew into action. She pushed Kaidan, Dell, and Rahna to the side as she cleaned and damaged the wounds.

“So,” Rhea’s voice was weak. “First question?”

“What’s your middle name?” Del blurted just as Rhea screamed. The medic was using a frothing liquid, unlike anything Kaidan had seen, on her wounds.

Rhea couldn’t stop shaking so he gripped her hand. She laughed weakly. “Aspasia.”

Rahna stood next to Kaidan. “That’s an unusual name.”

“Says Rahna.” she retorted with another weak laugh. Rhea grimaced as Aashka wrapped the bandages tight. “Question two?”

Kaidan thought about it for a second. “Favourite childhood memory.”

“No.”

“Favourite food?”

Rhea sighed as Aashka tutted over her abdomen. “Anything mediterranean.”

“I’d never have guessed that.” Del laughed uneasily.

“I’m fucking Greek, Del.” she said and Rahna snorted.

“Catarina,” Aashka interrupted, done with her bandaging (she hadn’t needed stitches after all), “how did this happen to you?”

Rhea looked uneasy, but she just shrugged. “Another biotic and I had a disagreement. Nothing for concern.”

Aashka and Kaidan glared at Rhea while Rahna shook her head. “And was this kid armed with, say, a knife?” The medic’s stern voice left no room for lies.

“For fuck’s sake!” she exclaimed and pillowed her head against the wall.

Rahna stepped in front of Rhea. “Just leave her alone. She needs some rest.”

Aashka nodded and pulled them aside so Rhea couldn’t hear. “Keep an eye on her. She’s made some enemies here, and they aren't the kind she’ll be safe from.” With that, she turned and gave Rhea some pills. “Take these when the pain comes back.” Then, with only a short glance back, she left the room.

“Rhea...” Kaidan started.

“Please.”

******

He felt her dark energy building. That was what woke him up, and then the crying. _Whatever Rhea is dreaming about_ , Kaidan decided, _must be awful_. Tears stained her cheeks and she was lashing out at some non-existent entity. He sat on the bed and grabbed her hands, trying to wake her up. She punched him in the nose and he reeled back, tasting blood. “Rhea!” he called, this time standing well away from her flailing limbs. She at last opened her eyes, water still gently falling from them.

“Kaidan!” her voice had the same tinge of panic he heard when they first met.

He walked over to her and gathered her shaking form in his arms. Cradling her head, he listened to her shaky breaths. “....everything burning....all my fault...” she choked between sobs.

Kaidan didn’t ask, he couldn’t. He couldn’t ask her to relive whatever she had dreamed, he wouldn’t. Instead, he rocked her back and forth until her choked breaths slowed to quiet whispers.

Eventually she fell asleep.

Somewhere between “it’s okay” and “its over now”, Kaidan fell asleep too.


	4. ...and Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Sine labore nihil_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it has been a long time since I last posted. Sorry! Finals have just gotten worse and worse. I'm planning on writing some funny things next chapter because this one was more of a plot/character developer. 
> 
> As always, comment as much as you can. Criticisms and compliments alike do help me develop my story and take it where my readers want it to go. Thanks for continuing to read (even through the boring parts) and continuing to support me (even though I can't post as often as I would like)! Enjoy!

Kaidan awoke to the smell of blood and a quiet grunt of pain. When he opened his eyes, he realized that Rhea had moved and was trying to rebandage her arms whilst ensuring that she wouldn’t disturb him. “Hey.” he propped his head up on his hand.

Catarina jumped and dropped the bandages. “Last time I checked, you were sleeping.”

“As were you.” he laughed and then gestured to the wrap. “Let me do that.”

She sighed and handed him the wrap and frothy liquid. Kaidan moved her onto his lap so he could get to the wounds on her shoulders. “Can you get the ones on my back? Normally, I wouldn’t ask, but it hurts when I reach my arms back there.”

He nodded against the back of her head and she leaned forward, pulling off her shirt. Kaidan tried, but he couldn’t stop himself from quickly intaking a short breath. Catarina’s tan back was covered in freckles, but along her spine was the silvery tracing of old scars, now healed. They ran in two long streaks, slashing across her spine and crossing under the black strap of her bra. Once again, Kaidan didn’t ask. Instead, he moved to clean the still bloody cuts along her right shoulder blade.

“Hold still!” he told her as she jerked away from the liquid he was using to clean the cuts out. Exasperated, he wrapped one arm around her stomach as he dumped frothy liquid on her shoulder. She wiggled and the bottle flew out of his hand, spilling the liquid all over both of them. They looked at each other for a moment before bursting into loud laughter.

Rhea was laughing with the palm of her hand pressed to her stomach when she gasped. “Ooh this _stings_.” She then got off the bed and hopped around, trying to reach her back. Kaidan, intending to help her, reached for her shoulders just as she stepped back, sending them crashing into each other. Catarina landed on top of Kaidan as they fell on the floor, limbs tangled.

The sight of Kaidan, wearing a white t-shirt that had gone translucent with the addition of the cleaning solution and with slight bruising across his nose ( _oops_ ), and her, wearing nothing but a bra and workout shorts and skin with trails of dried blood, sent her into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

Kaidan just smiled as she laughed, her whole body shaking with the noise. She was still atop him, but he didn’t notice. When her eyes met his, water colored the purple, making him laugh harder than she did for a moment. When he stopped laughing, he noticed she was pouting. “You’re fucking adorable, Rhea.”

She just stared at him until something hard smacked the back of his head. He turned his face upwards to see a floating hairbrush. _I didn’t even feel her gathering dark energy_. Kaidan looked back at her and her eyes widened.

Almost at the same time, they scrambled to get up. Her, trying to escape his revenge, and him, pinning her to the bed and tickling her until she apologized.

“Fuck! Kaidan! Shit, I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Goddamnit I. Can’t. Stop. Laughing. Hells!” Her breath was coming in short gasps through smiling teeth. When he let her up, she grabbed clothes out of a drawer. As she went into the bathroom, he lounged on the bed.

“Crazy psychopath.” he muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

“At least I’m not a pervert!” she taunted back from in front of the mirror.

“I’m offended! You are at least 5 times more perverted than me, Miss ‘Oh-wow-some-of-these-boys-got-the-booty’!”

She chuckled. “Says the boy who fell asleep in my bed last night! How scandalous.” He shook his head. Somehow Rhea managed to turn everything into a light-hearted joke. Kaidan thought back to last night, _well maybe not everything._

Rhea came out from the bathroom wearing a black tank top (tight around the chest, she was still borrowing Mia’s, that girl had a lot of clothes) and silver work out shorts. She grabbed his sweatshirt off of the rail and pulled it over her head.

“Hey!” he said in mock protest.

She shrugged. “Mine now.”

Kaidan just rolled his eyes and pulled on whatever workout clothes he could find.

Catarina smiled as they walked toward the sliding door together. “Let’s kick some ass.”

******

“I said ‘let’s kick some ass’, not ‘let’s get our asses kicked’!” Rhea shouted over the noise of the simulation. It had been a frustrating five minutes. Kaidan was fighting their virtual enemies purely defensively, never launching an offensive of his own and dragging them down. She strategized while taking down some more virtual mercs. Both of their vitals were at 50, so they had to do something big or they’d never get through this wave. “Match my energy!” she yelled while building biotic energy up. Luckily, he heard her over the dull roar and they started to throw down energy waves in sync.

Singularity for the troopers. Then throw on anything left alive. Slam was used for any snipers, followed by a quick warp pulse. For the biotics, they threw a stasis field, and then pull to bring the biotics close enough to crack them over the head with the metal rod Kaidan and Rhea had both been given.

Within minutes, the virtual enemies were gone and Rhea was lying on the floor, breathing deeply. “Exceptional!” said Instructor Lichtman’s voice over the coms. “When you two started working together, it really was something to see!”

“Yeah.” Rhea lifted herself off of the floor. “That means ‘follow my orders’, loser.” Kaidan stuck his tongue out at her and she rolled her eyes. “Real mature.”

“Match my energy!” he mocked.

Using her biotics, she hit him on the head with a water bottle and smirked.

“How does that even work?” he was exasperated.

She flashed him a wicked smile. “Space magic.”

Together, Kaidan rolling his eyes and Rhea laughing quietly, they walked out of the simulation and into the viewing room. Its large window made it easy to see the sim and the people inside it. Rhea sighed and leaned against the back wall with Del. It was obvious from the looks she and Kaidan were receiving, everyone had been watching that sim.

Instructor Lichtman, a nervous pale fellow, turned their attention to a screen. “Catarina and Kaidan, please watch the recap.” Rhea could feel all attention rest on her, but she kept her eyes trained on the screen. The first three minutes of the sim were completely disorganized. The vid showed her fighting completely unstrategically. Of course, her biotic power and endurance was impressive, but she was too focused on protecting Kaidan and throwing out singularities. Somewhere near the 3:23 minute mark, something changed in her fighting style. Kaidan continued to fight defensively, but Rhea was using everything she had to her advantage. The layout of the training room was a tool, as was the gym equipment. Rhea laughed. She hadn’t remembered doing the acrobatics with the gym equipment, but there it was. She looked ridiculous, but the acrobatics were working and her biotics were effective. _Of all things._

As soon as the vid hit five minutes, everything changed. Rhea heard her voice through the speakers. _Hells. My voice is probably the most irritating noise to ever grace space_. However, the voice warbling through the speakers was not what drew her attention. In the vid, both Kaidan and Rhea were surrounded with glowing blue energy. They were moving in sync and the virtual mercs were falling in waves around them. Rhea had a grin on her face and, surprisingly, so did Kaidan. The two were throwing around energy like it _wasn’t_ absolutely exhausting. She watched as the blue energy between them mingled and flared. Within two minutes, it was just the two of them, laughing as the blue energy around them dissipated.

As the screen faded to black, Rhea met his eyes across the room. Not giving anything away, she winked and walked out through the door. She half expected Lichtman to follow her, but he seemed satisfied enough to let her walk. Truth be told, Rhea was absolutely exhausted. Between the attack, nightmare, and training, she hadn’t gotten much rest and those goddamn cuts ached all the time. _Hells._

Catarina was so focused on her own thoughts that it came as a complete surprise to her when she ran into the wall. Well actually- “Rahna!”

The girl looked angry. She had her arms crossed over her chest and a frown creasing her lips. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Making plans to take over the world. You?” Rhea leaned against the wall.

“Whatever you’re doing to Kaidan, you need to stop.” Rahna didn’t smile or relax. She just stood in front of Rhea looking directly into her eyes.

The smile was wiped from Rhea’s face immediately. “Wait. What the actual fuck?”

“The way he is,” she gestured to the door Rhea had walked out of, “in there and with you isn’t him. I don’t know what you’ve done, but it needs to stop.”

Rhea started to laugh. After a minute, she noticed that Rahna wasn’t laughing with her. “Holy shit, you’re serious.” She sighed. “I haven’t done anything to Kaidan. Whatever you think you’re seeing, it was there before I came and will be there until he’s dead. That’s the thing. People can't change another person; there are a billion pieces of different selves inside them.”

“I don’t like the piece you seem to invoke.”

She rolled her eyes and started to walk off. “Oh and Rahna?” The girl turned her head slightly. “Loving someone means you accept them. _All_ of them.”

“It means you take care of them! What would you know of love, Cat?” Rahna had walked closer, towering above Rhea as she spoke.

Abruptly, Rhea stopped walking. “Because I’m a cold-hearted bitch, right? I could never have, in my entire life, felt anything? “ She took a deep breath. “You really don’t know me.”

“I know enough.”

“You know _of_ me.” She ran her hand through her hair. “ _Hells_ , you don’t even know enough of me to have a problem with me. “ Rhea shook her head. “Talk to Kaidan. Rahna. I’m done.”

With that, Rhea pushed past Rahna and went on her way. When she arrived at the room she shared with Kaidan, she realized she didn’t feel like sleeping. With a groan, Rhea grabbed a piece of scrap paper and penned a note.

_**Kaidan,** _

_**~~I’m sorry.~~ ** _

_**~~I messed up.~~ ** _

_**Thanks for everything, but I’m planning on staying with Mia for now. I’d rather not cause anymore damage than I already have (don’t ask). Get some rest, Gods know you need it, and put some ice on that ankle (yeah, I know you fell down the stairs you fucking loser). See you around.** _

_**Rhea** _

_Something went wrong_ , Rhea thought with a tired smile, _and I’m pretty sure it was me_. With a decisive click, the door closed behind her.

_What a fucking mess._


	5. Reconciliation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I realize I haven't posted in years and I'm so sorry. Kinda gave up on writing for a while due to some personal stuff. Anyway, when I came back to keep going with this I realized I had to change where I was going with this chapter because I don't like the idea that Rhea and Rahna couldn't (or wouldn't) be friends because of Rhea's influence on Kaidan. There will be more cuteness and pranks and the like in the coming chapters, I promise. 
> 
> I'm planing to do about three or four more chapters:  
> \- an interlude chapter with just plain fluff and fun  
> \- The Event  
> \- reactions to The Event and such as well as the dismantling of Brain Camp  
> \- fast forward to assignment day for the Normandy ?
> 
> As always please comment with any thoughts or ideas or criticism you have! I really enjoy reading it

Kaidan found her in the training room. “Rhea!” he yelled out, loudly. Before he could say anything else, she turned around and walked out of the room. “Wait!” he said while running after her. He would’ve jogged, but she wasn’t making it easy.  _ This girl could be a goddamn track star _ .

“Just let her go.”

That was Rahna, leaning against the wall and looking at the space where Rhea had just been. Kaidan looked at her with exasperation. “Aren’t you worried about her? I mean, she just took off and she left that note...” At this point, Kaidan had more questions than answers.

“Of course I’m worried about her!” Rahna exclaimed. “But we can’t force Cat to talk to us and Mia keeps secrets like a lockbox.” She sighed and blew hair out of her eyes. The two of them had been spending as much time out of the training room (and away from Vyrnnus) as possible. Rhea, it seems, spent all her time sparring and strengthening her abilities. She had quickly gone from their turian overlord’s worst nightmare to his favorite protege, and she hardly spoke to any of the other biotics. It was concerning to say the least and Kaidan was clearly worked up about it. “Hey, Danny,” she rested her hand on his arm, “she’ll talk when she’s ready.”

He looked at her gratefully. “You’re right, as always. Still sucks though” He smiled when Rahna laughed at his eloquent turn of phrase. She grew up in Turkey as the daughter of a wealthy family, and her laugh still alluded to her Turkish roots. He loved it. He had genuinely never met anyone will the kind of beautiful spirit she carried with her. Kaidan couldn’t understand why she seemed to like him, but God knows he wasn’t going to complain.

The two watched as Del tried to reach for a towel with his biotics and instead sent it flying in the opposite direction, hitting Mia in the face. They laughed while Del cursed and apologized profusely. Vyrnnus yelled about his failure, but with less venom than usual. It seemed like Rhea’s success and cooperation had put Vyrnnus in a good mood recently, and all of the kids at Brain Camp were benefitting. 

Kaidan was brought back from his thoughts by Rahna untangling herself from his arm and standing up. “Where are you headed?” he asked.

She smiled softly. “There’s something I have to take care of. I’ll be right back”

******

Rhea had just finished showering and changing when she was alerted to the door opening behind her. “Hey, Mia!” she said without turning around.

“Um, actually, it’s me.” Rhea recognized the voice as distinctly Rahna’s and she turned around with what she could only imagine was a look of complete surprise coloring her face.

Before she could even react, Rahna started to speak. “I wanted to say that I’m sorry. I never should have said those things to you. To be honest, Cat,” she paused as if searching for the right words, “I said them because I was scared. And that’s no excuse. You aren’t to blame for any of this, especially not Kaidan. I had no right to accuse you or judge you or,” she swallowed, “bring my feelings for Kaidan into any of this. You were right. I don’t know you. I was just scared.” She blew the tiniest bit of air out of her nose, signifying that she was done talking.

“Scared of biotics.... or scared of me?” Rhea sat on the bed opposite Rahna.

“Both, I guess.” 

Rhea studied Rahna for a moment. Was that guilt on her face? She sighed. “It’s okay, Rahna, you’re right to be scared. And I’m not just saying that so you’ll feel better.” 

Rhea looked at the floor in response to Rahna’s questioning gaze. “Before this, before Brain Camp, I lived on Mindoir and I was seeing this boy, Will. One day, I was helping my father pick strawberries and Will snuck up on me to surprise me. I was so scared I sent him flying straight into a steel tractor. It was an accident, but I hurt him pretty badly. And that’s how we discovered my biotics.” She took a breath before adding, “he never spoke to me again, and I don’t blame him.”

She shifted. “Is that how you came here?”

“No, this was a year or two before, which is.... unimportant.” Rhea looked at her with what she hoped was gentleness rather than sadness. “The point is that biotics are dangerous. We can hurt people. But I made a promise when I got here to learn how to control them and use them so that I can help people, so that I can protect them.” 

As she thought about what to say next she smiled. “No one argues that we shouldn’t have guns. We just don’t give them to toddlers. It’s about training, control, and discipline. That’s what Brain Camp is for.” She laughed. “Or it would be, if Vyrnnus weren’t such an ass.”

Rahna laughed with her and then stopped suddenly. “I really didn’t know you, and I’m sorry for that.”

“It’s not like I told you. You judged me based upon what you knew.”

Rahna stood up quickly and then offered her hand. “Well I’m not gonna make that mistake again.”

******

Kaidan almost spit out his water when he saw Rahna and Rhea walk arm and arm into the training room. They headed straight for Kaidan. It was obvious from their shocked facial expressions that Del and Mia had also noticed the pair, and followed right on their heels. Within a moment, Rhea was standing right in front of him and, while he definitely wanted to talk to her, he couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

“Hey.” she said in a casual tone that completely contrasted the fact that she had been avoiding him for a week and a half.

He snorted. “Hey, yourself.” Almost impulsively, he added, “You gonna explain why you just ghosted all of us all the sudden or are we all expected to pretend it never happened?” She flinched in response to the accusatory tone in his voice and he immediately felt guilty.

“Really? Cause I feel like I see her all the damn time.” Mia laughed.

“I’m sorry, guys.” she said sincerely, taking the time to look each of them, excluding Mia, in the eyes. “I know I just disappeared, but I was dealing with some personal stuff and needed some time.”

“It’s fine.” That was Del. “But you know you can talk to us right? We don’t have much on this station,” he smiled at them, “but we do have each other.”

Del’s statement completely drained the seriousness invading their little group. 

“Well we’re quite the merry band of misfits aren’t we?” Rhea asked, pretending to appraise them and wearing a sarcastic smile that suited her much better than the solemnity she had worn previously. 

“The merriest!” Rahna interjected to a chorus of chuckles. 

“So,” Del began, “what should we do?”

“Oh! Rhea! Show them!” Her speech pattern was a series of excited yells, signifying her clear and extreme enthusiasm not just to the four of them, but to the entire training room as well. Kaidan wouldn’t be surprised if they could hear her all the way down to the kitchen. 

Rhea raised an eyebrow and was clearly lost in thought before a flash of realization appeared on her face. “You mean my party trick!”

Mia nodded and ran off to the center of the training room. Rhea gave them a look that said “watch this,” winked, and began to follow.

As Kaidan watched Rhea lift Mia with her biotics and fly her in circles around the room, to Mia’s obvious delight, it struck him just how much he had missed her. And whatever had happened to make her leave, he was just happy to have his best friend back.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed it! Comment anything you wish, criticisms and compliments alike are much appreciated. I will be updating ASAP. Also, English is not my first language so correct anything you see for me please! Thank you all so much for reading! Chapter two is coming soon! 
> 
> Catarina's nickname (Rhea) is pronounced Ree-ya. 
> 
> ******* denotes change in time


End file.
